Goodbye for now

This will be my last post here for a long time. I plan on moving away soon and won't be around to keep up in the area.

This last one is simply a tag from me and my best friend MEKE. And unless you plan on doing a 7 story free climb up an un-named water tower you'll probably never get to see it. I hope Fargo's fluctuating street art scene is finally realized one day.

SKEM3

That guy up there wants to hold your hand

Dinosaur stickers every day!

The night I went out to put these up I was walking through the alley to find a decent spot when I heard a voice plead "Can't you just hold my hand for 5 seconds?" I looked down both ends of the alley and saw only my own shadow strewn down to the next street. Then, a cry stumbled out above me, "Why can't you just hold my hand!" 

Looking up almost directly above me, I found a rugged man on the fire escape smoking a cigarette and fixed blankly out into nothing. I wanted to tell him I'd hold his hand but I was afraid he might want to cut it off.

-Skem3

Quick One

Quick one tonight. Another abandon face in an abandon building. Not my best piece but im happy for how quick it was. Have a good day.

--Skem3

Heights

Finally made it in and on one of my favorite buildings the other day. It's been on my tick list for awhile and thanks to the help of a friend of mine, NAVO, it's one more view of the city I've experienced that most will never get to enjoy.

New freight crayons have been working out more than well lately. 

--Skem3

Back From The Dead

WOW where do I start?

How about with this...

This railway bridge is just outside of the downtown area. Hanging off the side while trains shook around the whole bridge was less than easy but hey, maybe thats an excuse for it looking so shitty huh? ha. This is one of my first drawings using my new freight crayons. So far I absolutely love them! Can get a little messy but I like how thick or thin you can make them. And they apply super well to any metal or steal. Anyway, it feels good to be back on the horse. Been a while huh? I have a lot of excuses and I know, I know, they're just excuses but I do have them. 

Firstly, I've been working hard in close collaboration with a few artists and creatives around the area on something called an ARG. It is officially up and running as one week ago today. Anyone can play all you need is a push in the right direction. For all the information you need to get started visit the TDA website.

Secondly, It's nice enough outside to actually go outside and enjoy yourself. I think that when I'm not cooped up I'm also not depressed enough to be an art fuck.

And, lastly, I met a girl. 

Fuck.

--SKEM3

"Scrap Cans"

It's been awhile... but it's NOT out of laziness this time! Been very busy with work and an extra special top secret collaborative project with a few other artists and adventurers in the area! Can't say too much at this point except to keep your ears glued to the streets these next few months. Speaking of, check out my local spotting flickr for some rad new stuff I've been finding around and my first time ever being on the receiving end of a blind-collab!

Tonight's project are three scrap cans. For those of you who actually know what a can looks like after your tip explodes on you or clogs up you know it doesnt actually end up that perfect. Thats because I purposely put on a tip that was way to big and bled the last tiny bit of paint out to make these.  Added some vinyl stickers to the back and went out to drop them!

The cans were never used for anything illegal. In fact I purposely chose spots where their respective colors were no where to be seen on anything in the immediate area. The white and red are pretty much random but the purple is tucked away neatly in the underbelly of a standing antique passenger car set.

--SKEM3

geocaching and squirrels

Stickers and old tip I left in big enough caches

Recently discovered GeoCaching. If you've never heard of it, it's basically the biggest scavenger hunt imaginable. You can go there to find caches in your area, get their coordinates, read clues, and go out and find them. They could be anything the size of an ammo box (like bellow) or even a dime sized magnet! Anyway when you find them you record your name/date and can take something from the box and replace it with something of equal or greater value. Might sound kinda dorky but its a lot of fun and a great way to start a small adventure no matter where you are.

geocache ammo box and stuff we found inside it. laughed our faces off 

--------------------------------Also!--------------------------------

Quick update on the bird house: it seems that either the hole wasn't big enough for the birds and they pecked their way through, or the squirrels of island park were hungry too! Kinda funny and I think the imagery of it being his eye isnt too distorted ha. Awesome.

--SKEM3

I need to learn how to take photos

Every time I'm working on a project I seem to be rushing to get it finished and on the street as soon as possible (mostly because I'm usually behind on posts and there are always stacks of things to get done). Because of this I've noticed how shitty most my photos turn out. Which sucks cause after someone has taken a piece...or torn it down...these pictures are all I ever have to show for it. I need to work on that.

          Today's project is another art drop of my wolf stencil on a nice heavy piece of wood I found the other day. It's kinda high up but if you can't climb you could try reaching though the fire escape stairs! Also, I've (lazily) begun to update my local spotting flickr lately. Caught one project in particular that I thought was pretty rad. Go check it out!

-SKEM3

secrets don't lose weight

This is a first for me in years. I haven't just picked up a can and went at a wall free hand since I was in highschool...

Trying to develop a style with this man that seems be naturally coming out of my hands lately. I've never seen him before but he always seems to be so hollow no matter how he comes out.

Not sure if I'm finished with the bottom one yet. They're both on legal walls so I might go back and finish sometime soon.

-SKEM3

this day is an island

If you didn't spend most the day outside today you messed up, its the last nice one for awhile. Rain and cold will be running the show for at least another week. Today's project is a bird house I found in the garbage and fixed up. I figured since spring seems to never come the birds have been out in the cold and rain for more then their share.

 

I rigged a clipping strap to the back so it can rest on one branch while being held tight in place by the higher one (no nails or anything were put into the tree). The perch was made from a broken chop stick pounded into a smaller hole. Then I filled her with bird seed in hopes that it might entice them more though, I'm not sure how fond they will be of crawling inside of an eyeball ha. Installing was less then easy since its so high up and so far out but it fit great! Now I just hope someone walking through the park will catch a bird living in there some day!

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

CHASE

 

Got the chance to see an amazing street artist, CHASE, at work last week. Super inspiring dude. We ended up doing a kind of impromptu, hand done, sticker trade. Super pumped to have a few originals and in the excitement of free art I decided to share them with everyone and put'm up. Found a few high up places I expect to see a decent life span. Dude's huge and way sick, make sure to check him out!

--SKEM3

Where have I been?

So those of you who follow pretty closely may have noticed I haven't posted in 2 whole weeks... and I guess I dont really have a decent excuse for that besides exhaustion and fucking snow in the middle of April...

Tonight's project is kind of a test for a series I'd like to do. I framed a print of a photo I took and then dropped it in the exact place I took it at. So, the viewer should be able to stand back and compare the dichotomy of the scene that I captured and the scene that exists in their present:

Getting a good photo of it was less then easy but that could just be more excuses.

On another note I recently discovered that FreeStreet was featured (kind of) in an article in the March 31, 2011 publication of the High Plains Reader. I say 'kind of' because they used a photo of the jet ski sign for an article completely about the gay community in Fargo. Confused? Me too. There is not one mention or any relevance to the sign of ANY kind in the article. Nothing at all against the gay community, I just can't help but feel a little cheated! I emailed the writer, Josh Boschee, about it but no light was ever shed on the subject.

--SKEM3

GET SOME!

HELL YEAH! Finally some new shit!

First off, BIG ups to my man STAB for all the help putting this one together and climbing up those freezing beams with me! Dude's SICK!

Went big with it tonight! If you couldnt tell from the photos, this weeks project is a giant (taller than me, seriously!) cardboard cut out of Banksy's Molotov flower rioter guy ( I know I said I was nothing like him before but this is different). I switched out the rioters masked face with that of Marge from the movie "Fargo" and instead of a bu cay of flowers shes grasping a bushel of wheat ( ND's biggest crop).

She's strategically placed right on top of the historic Fargo Theater sign for Monday's showing of "Exit Though The Gift Shop".  Originally I planned on putting her up Sunday night so she'd be up all day before the premiere but since we live in the city with the toughest weather, we had do it a few days early to avoid being up that frigg'n high up in a snow storm (in April? yeah, in April).

Anyway, after hours of planning and taping and cutting and weather proofing and running and climbing we finally got her up and she looks fuckin huge!

--SKEM3

***UPDATE***

That weekend it did end up snowing and being super windy and she survived! But only for a few days longer. After about a week the weather got to her and started looking like shit. So, for the first time ever that I can remember I personally took down my own piece. Gotta keep the city pretty.

Long Week

 

Well I finally failed! Looks familiar right? I Promise I have new things cooking just a victim of circumstance:

The ONE night I had set out to put something new up there was a thunder/hail/snow storm all in one night! Shit is messed. THEN another night I went out to put up a different project and that whole operation completely crumbled on me as well! Even today when I put this drop up I had to run all the way back home before I could take a photo for the blog because my memory card wasnt formatted right. Fuck I wish the warm weather would stick around for more then a few days in a row.

Speaking of, if you haven't heard yet, Fargo is not only in the running for the Toughest Weather City Tournament but we're also about to win!

--SKEM3 

Truckers

This lovely snarling face can be found at a rest stop halfway between Fargo and the Twin Cities. He guards truckers and traveling families while they poop. This sticker/stencil is an old one I tend to use a lot. It's been noted as being "Banksy-esque" which I can't decide humors me or pisses me off due to every college art fuck thinking that any piece of art on the street, that isn't a throwie, "reminds them of Banksyyyy". Yuk.

Also! Just got back from the cities today where I got this sticker cut. It ripped when I put it up but I think it gets the point across just the same.

--SKEM3

I'll count it

Keeping up with getting a new piece out there every week is proving to be a little more challenging than I initially expected. But if I can finish this in 2 minutes then I'll have technically made it in under a week!

Tonight we have an old framed print of a kid...sniffing his hand? I bought it for 2 bucks at a pawn shop for the frame, but then decided to do a blind collaboration with the original artist. Mounted on a nail sticking out of the brick wall, this little boy's contradictory themes will either give someone a good laugh or piss them right off ha.

Also! check out the new LINKS panel to the right! There you can find some old work of mine and a bunch of other local FM street art as well!

--SKEM3 

Who'd Have Guessed?

 

WOW was I wrong when I thought last night would be a good night to try my first wheat paste poster... Was super nice (considering) and sunny yesterday afternoon but things sure changed by the time we made it out there to put this up. -3 and 26 mph winds made this less than easy but we got it up (mostly). 

The roller bomb in the background is mine from before I started FreeStreet. I picked this spot particularly because it used to say "SKEM3" but LERIK decided to buff out the 3 (my favorite character) to make room for a piece of his. Which was unnecessary AND sucky. Anyway I put this back over the portion I had originally claimed.

Anyways, enough bad blood, check this out!  

Unglued Craft Fest is basically a big craft expo-esk thing but instead of a bunch of old grandma's in rocking chairs making boring things it's a bunch of local indie kids selling cleaver cute things. I think? Either way it's been hyped up pretty well so, if you're in the FM area, go check it out!

--SKEM3 

Slackin

Haven't had a lot of time to work on this weeks update so I coped out and settled with a few small stickers again. Once the sun starts staying up I'll be getting up more. Promise.

In the mean time I went down to ArtMaterial's to snag a few photos of their promotions for the Fargo Theater's showing of Banky's "Exit Through The Gift Shop". I've seen it and personally I think it's all a big practical joke but, it was still pretty rad to see some of heavy hitting street artists at work.  If I'm not mistaken the promos come from a gal who works there, Aliese Anderson:

Also! Right next the art store I ran into the SnowKitects working on a piece to promote another Fargo Theater event: the Fargo Film Festival. They do all kinds of snow sculptures and things around the Midwest and are crazy talented. Unfortunately, only got the chance to snap one photo before the camera died though:

--SKEM3